Who Will Be At BWC - Updated

It is often said that the journey is more important than the destination. The StarCraft II World Championship Series (WCS) exemplifies that sentiment, with dozens of qualifier tournaments, national finals, and continental championships spread out over several months. The goal of the WCS has been to provide competitive opportunities to players in regions all over the world, and identify new eSports heroes. Over the past months, we’ve seen plenty of new players and fresh talent be given the opportunity to travel to and compete with the best of the best in their country and continent.

The Battle.net World Championship (BWC) is coming, and players from countries all over the world have battled their way through regional qualifiers for the chance to join their national event. At each national event, they fought for the right to represent their country at the continental event. Some of those nationals event winners also earned guaranteed spots at BWC. Now the continental events are drawing to a close, and the remaining players prepare to clash at the BWC in Shanghai later this year for the title of World Champion.

As the WCS comes to a close, it’s time for us to shift our focus from the journey to the destination. Earlier this week, we announced the format for the StarCraft II World Championship Series Global Finals. In two short months, 32 of the world’s best StarCraft II players will be traveling to China to compete for both country and a share of the $250,000 prize pool. The winner of the event will be taking home both the prestigious title of StarCraft II World Champion and a $100,000 cash prize.

An event like the World Championship Series can be a complex affair, so we created an image to more clearly show who has earned the right to compete for the global title. This graphic describes their journey; all the way from who earned seeds at nationals, to the list of competitors that will tangle at BWC at the top.

Image Updated 10-16-2012

North American qualifier Ostojiy will not be participating in the Global Finals, and will be replaced by Conan "Suppy" Liu.